A couple of weeks later, Hermione was eating breakfast one weekend with Harry, Ron and Ginny when the two boys finally noticed the jewelery both girls wore. Harry noticed Ginny's first.

"Bloody hell, Ginny!" Ginny looked up from where she was toying with her pancakes and trying to be subtle when staring at Blaise, who, Ginny reported to Hermione, was being a lot more consistent with his affections. Hermione strongly suspected intervention on Draco's part, but she didn't say anything about it.

"What?" she asked. Harry reached across the table to where Ginny sat next to Hermione, and grabbed her left hand, forcing her to stretch her arm out, just missing the bowl of jam on the table.

"Where did you get that?" Ron demanded. "That looks like-"

"Gold." Harry said.

"Oh please." Ginny said, her eyes flicking to Hermione.

"It's charmed to look like that." Hermione lied quickly. "Look, I have one too." She held out her hand with the bronze and ruby ring on it.

"You have a ruby ring as well? We saw the set you wore to the October Ball." Harry commented.

"Yeah, the set Malfoy offered to replace." Ron said viciously.

"Well, I did buy it for her in the first place." Hermione felt his hands on her hair and tilted her head back to look up at him.

"Morning Draco."

"Morning." He said conversationally. "Nice hair."

Hermione smiled. "You like?"

"Oh my god, your hair!" Ron suddenly gasped.

"You mean you only just noticed?" Ginny asked disbelievingly. "Fucking hell, Ron, her hair is blonde!"

It was true. Amelie, in a state of repressed stress, had changed the top half of Hermione's hair to tightly ringletted golden-blonde, and the bottom half to poker-straight red, only slightly darker than Ginny's hair. And then she refused to change it back.

Much to Hermione's annoyance.

Hermione could feel Draco playing with her hair, and strongly suspected he was braiding it. And while this wasn't really a problem, it was just that the only braid Draco knew how to do was one with seven strands that was hopelessly complicated. God forbid Draco actually learn to braid normally.

"Why is your hair blonde?" Harry asked. Hermione exchanged a glance with Ginny, pleased the boys had been so easily distracted from the subject of the rings. Or they would have been, had Draco's ring not caught their eye.

Draco had finished hopelessly tangling Hermione's hair into the complex, yet beautiful, but really complex braid, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and neck from behind, clasping his wrists before her. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

Harry and Ron made a concerted effort to ignore him, and started talking animatedly about quidditch, while Ginny, Draco and Hermione rolled their eyes and started talking about how much Ginny's dorm-mates drove her batty.

"Literally. I have nearly cast the bat-bogey hex so many times." She said, annoyed.

"You can always sleep on our couch if you want." Hermione offered.

"I'd say why not, but then my image would be ruined forever. I'll just pretend I didn't hear you." Draco said with a grin.

"What do you think, Hermione?" Ron asked. Hermione looked over at him.

"Sorry, what?"

"We were just asking you what you thought were the better points of the Wronski Feint." Ron said, semi-desperately. Hermione reached up and clamped a hand over Draco's mouth before he could say anything.

"Look, Ron, I'm sorry if I look interested. I'm really not."

"Even though you're really good at quidditch." Draco said, moving his face out of her reach. "Speaking of which, I want you to help me with something."

"You're good at quidditch?" Harry asked weakly.

"Nearly as good as me, Potter." Draco said proudly.

"Don't be stupid. We're better than you are." Hermione said pompously.

"We?" Ron asked.

"I used to schizophrenic, but we're okay now." Hermione said with a shrug.

"You're still schizophrenic." Ginny pointed out. Hermione leaned her head against Draco's arm.

"Oh yeah. What did you want?" She asked Draco.

"But you never play! And you don't like the game! Although you do go to all the games." Harry protested.

"I only go to watch you." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Though she's better than you are." Draco pointed out again.

" You're repeating yourself, so shut up. And please unbraid my hair now."

"Can't you do it?" Draco asked with a grin, knowing full well the answer.

"No."

"He's dyed you hair blue!" Ron exclaimed.

Amy!

Sorry, this is fun.

Stop it.

It'll fade.

"Hermione!" Ron snapped.

"It'll fade in a minute." Hermione said tiredly. "Draco, please unbraid my hair."

"Not unless you help me test something." Draco bargained.

"Not now, I'm eating."

"I'll leave the braid in." Draco threatened.

"Draco Malfoy, now!" Hermione snapped.

"You play quidditch?" Ron asked.

"Much better than you do." Draco affirmed.

"Draco, you have the right to remain silent…so shut up."

"Only if you check this." He tightened his grip on her shoulders, and she turned her head to face him, and found his face only inches from hers. They had a staring competition, until Hermione went cross-eyed and had to blink.

"If I throw a stick will you go away?" she asked hopefully.

"Only if it's a broomstick." He said cheerfully. He kissed her shoulder, and watched in satisfaction as both Harry and Ron started turning red with fury.

"Fine. Undo the braid and I'll help you." Hermione said, giving in.

"It's only a simple one." He said teasingly, releasing her and starting to quickly unweave her tri-coloured hair.

"Seven strands is not simple, Draco." Hermione defended. "And you know I cant take it out myself."

"You're right. I do know. Funny. I can't think how I forgot that simple fact."

"Neither can I." Ginny said dryly. "One of the central parts of your relationship with Hermione and you forgot. You should be ashamed."

"Relationship?" Ron snapped, rising.

"I'm not though. Does that make me a bad person?" Draco winked at Ginny, and Harry leapt to his feet as Ginny winked back. Hermione banged her hands on the table, then winced.

"Oh, ow. Harry, Ron, sit down. Draco, Ginny, stop antagonising them. You're each as bad as the other."

"Your hair is still blue." Ron said, and it was almost a complaint.

"Really? Draco, could you get the the blue bits together for me?"

Draco nodded, combing his fingers through her hair to get the last of the braid out, and then he picked out the cobalt blue curls from the blonde ones, and then pulled them over her shoulder, so she could grab them.

Amy.

Okay, okay. Spoilsport. Amy concentrated, and the blue lightened to blonde. There ya go.

You're so kind.

Too kind, really.

"Okay, now come on." Draco said, grabbing her hand and tugging at it. Hermione rolled her eyes and got off the bench, and let Draco pull her through the castle out to the quidditch pitch, Harry, Ron and Ginny following close behind.

Once out on the quidditch pitch, Draco pulled his broom and something else in a broom-bag out of his pocket and made them the right size.

"Okay. You race me on the firebolt, and you tell me if it starts disintegrating." He held out the broom-bag to her, but she took the firebolt from his other hand instead, shaking her head.

"Let's rephrase that. You race me on the firebolt, and that way, you can see for yourself if it disintegrates." Hermione said.

"Oh, but that takes all the fun out of it." Draco whined.

"I'm not as dumb as he looks." Hermione retorted softly, her eyes flicking to where Ron and Harry were watching them. Draco snorted with laughter.

"Cute, Hermione."

"I know. So what is that?"

"An experiment." Draco answered. He pulled a normal looking broom out of the bag, but didn't say anything else. "From these goal-posts to the far ones?" Hermione nodded. They walked over to the goal posts and mounted the brooms, rising into the air.

"Ready?" She nodded. "Go!" the two set off, and Hermione was surprised to see that Draco's broom was keeping up with his firebolt. They heard a shout from Ginny, and suddenly Hermione had to duck as a black bludger flew over her head.

"What the fuck?" she swore, keeping an eye on Draco even as the far goal posts approached. Another bludger whizzed straight for her and she stretched out along the broom and rolled, so the bludger went straight by her. Draco had no such luck, and the bludger hit his broom with a crack that separated the broom into two pieces with a loud crack that made Hermione's heart beat wildly.

Draco started falling, although he didn't make a sound.

Amelie! Hermione screamed.

Shut up. Amelie snatched control, and then put them into a steep Wronski dive, reached out her hand, and snatched Draco from the air, just before he hit the ground. Her momentum pulled him up, and they pulled neatly out of the dive, and started rising again.

"What are you doing?" Draco yelled.

"Trust me, she's a Gryffindor!" Amelie called back. She pulled herself up sitting with a jerk, and Draco was able to grab the broom, and when she started a near-vertical climb, he swung himself over the broom, and she levelled out, his arms tight around her waist and his chin on her shoulder. Amelie gave control back to Hermione.

"Who the hell let those balls loose?" he said into her ear, and she shrugged slightly. She brought the broom around and flew towards where Harry and Ron stood, mouthes open in shock, Ginny with her hand over her mouth, and Neville looking very scared, the ball-crate open by his feet, and the quaffle in his hands. Hermione landed, and she and Draco got off. She left Draco with the broom and stalked over to Neville.

"Neville Longbottom, did you let those balls loose?" she demanded furiously. He nodded, looking at once both scared and apologetic.

"Bludger!" Draco called, and Hermione whirled around and caught the bludger in both hands, using Amelie's strength, and the adrenaline from her anger, which was fueled by the pheonix's energy that burned hotly inside her. She stuffed the bludger into the crate and tied it down. Then she turned back to Neville.

"Neville," she said sweetly. "You are going to be bain dramaged by the time I'm finished with you." She smiled.

Easy, Hermione.

Draco could have died!

But he didn't. Now calm down, Neville's already scared shitless.

"It was a mistake." Ron said, coming to Neville's rescue.

"Mistakes are often the stepping stones to utter failure." Hermione sneered.

HERMIONE! STOP IT, NOW! Amelie yelled. Hermione covered her face with her hands.

"Neville, I'm sorry." She said finally. Neville was practically trembling. "I shouldn't have said that, I don't know what got into me."

Welcome to the world of the Pheonix.

"But could you do me a favour?"

"Hermione…" Draco said, coming up behind her and grasping her upper arms.

"Anything." Neville stuttered.

"Stay away from me for a couple of days." She said, her voice muffled. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Come on Hermione." He said, pulling her away. "I'll make sure she doesn't kill you, Longbottom, although if you nearly kill me again, I'll let her." Neville nodded emphatically, and the four Gryffindor's watched the Slytherin pull away their suddenly-rabid Head Girl.

&

Inside, Draco pushed her against a wall and stood over her.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded.

Hermione rubbed her face harshly with her hands. "I don't know." She groaned, tipping her head back and banging it on the wall. "Ow."

"Maybe that's knocked some sense into you. What the fuck is going on?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Hermione yelled, pushing herself off the wall and getting right in his face.

"Don't apologise to me, apologise to Neville! He's the one who thinks you've gone completely rabid!" Draco yelled back.

"Well, excuse me for being mad if he nearly kills you!" Hermione shouted.

"You're madder than I am!" Draco shouted back. "And I nearly died."

"You would have done, if not for Amelie!"

"Do not bring her into this!" Draco said vehemently.

"Why not? You'd be dead without her!"

"Damn you!" he gritted out, and then he kissed her.

Her arms went immediately around his neck, her head tipped up hungrily as his mouth smashed against hers, his hands gripping her hips tightly, holding her against him. She groaned and stumbled backwards, her back meeting the wall. Draco pressed closer to her, his mouth crushing her lips against her teeth and his tongue battling with hers even as his body pressed against hers. Her arms tightened around his neck, drawing him closer to her.

"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy." The voice was familiar and very unwelcome.

They pulled apart, and saw the Potions master cross his arms with a disgusted look on his face.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for kissing in the hallways, Miss Granger."

"I wasn't kissing him." Hermione protested. "I was telling his lips a secret."

"In an empty hallway? Surely that kind of intimacy would be unnecessary is there was no one around to hear."

"You were around." She countered. He rolled his eyes.

"Another ten points for arguing with me, Miss Granger, and I will make it more if you don't stop talking back to me." Hermione sulked, and Snape ignored her.

"I happened to be in the staff room and I saw what happened. Are you alright?" he asked Draco.

Draco nodded. "Hermione saved my skin."

"I was unaware of the fact she could even fly, after her dismal first year."

"Amelie's been teaching me." Hermione said flatly.

"So it would appear." Snape said, equally as flatly. "Though I believe it would be prudent for you to be absent when Mr Potter and Mr Weasley come in. What you said to Mr Longbottom, while justly deserved, was harsh enough to attract their attention." Hermione shrugged.

"I did shout. And they werent exactly far away. Wait - you heard me?"

"The staff room is on the second floor facing the quidditch pitch. The windows were open, and the wind in the right direction. We heard every word. And we also heard your voice, as opposed to Amelie's."

"Ah. Yes. It might be a good idea if I'm not here when they arrive." Hermione agreed. They all heard the sound of the boys and Ginny coming in. "Yep, time to leave. Bye Professor." Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and dashed off, turning the corner just as Harry, Neville, Ron and Ginny came noisily into the hall. Only to be thoroughly berated by Snape, giving Hermione and Draco a chance to escape to their common room.

Inside, Hermione laughed. "I cant believe Snape caught us!"

Draco did not even smile. "We werent exactly subtle." He said tonelessly. She looked at him.

"What's wrong?" she felt giddy still, and she could still feel the pressure of his mouth on hers.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have kissed you." Hermione's smile slipped from her face, and she felt like she had come to earth with a crash.

"What?" she whispered.

"Look, to everyone in my family…to everyone in my world…you're a mudblood. Do you know what my father would think – what my father would do – if he found out?"

"So you wont be with me – wont kiss me or hug me or anything, because of what your father will think?" she demanded. He shrugged.

"In essence, yes."

"Well, okay. Because if you cant find the strength to ignore what your father thinks, then I don't think your worth it anyway!" She yelled. The only reason she wasn't crying was that Amelie had tight control over her tear-ducts.

"Hermione-"

"No. if that's how its going to be, why don't you just ignore me entirely – just in case your father thinks less of you because you talk to a mudblood!"

"Hermione-"

"No. You are a spineless, gutless, dickless little bastard, and I abhor you, Draco Malfoy!" She spun and stormed into her room, the door slamming behind her with an echoing crash that shook the entire room. Draco sighed, having failed to tell her what he meant, and went into his own room.

Fifteen minutes later, Ginny let herself into the Head's common room, and found to her surprise no one in the common room, although both doors were firmly shut.

"They've closeted themselves in their rooms, dear." The woman in the painting said sympathetically.

"Why?" Ginny asked, confused.

"They've had a bit of a row." The lady said with a little shrug.

"What on earth about? I'd've thought they'd be kissing each other senseless by now!"

"Apparently, they were."

"As in past tense? What the blue bloody blazes happened?"

"Why don't you ask her? She seems to be in need of company." The lady nodded towards Hermione's closed door. Ginny nodded her thanks and slipped into the room.

Hermione lay curled on top of her bed, sobbing her heart out. Ginny crawled onto the bed and gathered Hermione into her arms, and Hemrione responded with a fresh surge of sobbing.

"Hermione, what happened?" Hermione answered with yet more tears and a wail of dispair. Ginny stroked her hair and was silent. She understood some of what had happened, having drawn her conclusions from the words of the painting. Draco and Hermione had kissed, he had told her it was a mistake, they had fought and Hermione's heart was broken. "Hermione, talk to me." Hermione looked up at her from shining eyes.

"He said," sob, gulp, sniff, "that he couldn't date me, or kiss me, or anything like that because of what his father would think!" she burst into a fresh stream of tears. Ginny was beginning to understand more fully.

"Hermione, think." She said gently, pulling Hermione into a sitting position. "Who is Draco Malfoy's father?"

"Lucius Malfoy." Hermione said, her voice hoarse from crying. She sniffed, and Ginny handed her a tissue.

"And what does Lucius Malfoy tend to think about Muggleborns?" Ginny asked patiently.

"He..he hates them!" Hermione flung her arms around Ginny and sobbed into her shoulder. Ginny wrapped her arms around Hermione's trembling form.

"And what would he do if he found his son was dating a muggleborn?" Hermione drew back, understanding dawning in her eyes.

"He would," sniff, gasp, gulp, "He would kill someone."

"More to the point, and rather bluntly, he would kill you." Ginny said. Hermione grabbed a handful of tissues, and blew her nose. Ginny waited quietly as Hermione blew her nose repeatedly and wiped away her tears.

"So doesn't it make sense for Draco not to date you? Not to show he even likes you the slightest bit?"

"But he shows that he likes me!" Hermione said, tears welling again in her eyes. Ginny was beginning to lose patience. If this happened to you when you were Head Girl, Ginny would pass. "He talks to me, and he…he teases me, and he hugs me, and he drives me bonkers, always trying to make Harry and Ron mad!" she blew her nose noisily.

"And that was probably a very unwise decision on his part." She said practically. "Although he can explain it by saying he was leading you on and annoying Harry and Ron. No amount of reasons or excuses will save your life and his if you two are found kissing or dating!" Hermione stared at her with wide eyes, dark against her pale skin. Ginny got off the bed.

"I'm going to talk to Draco. I'll see you later." She waved and disappeared before Hermione could say anything to stop her.

Thank god.

&

Ginny knocked on Draco's door, because while she usually trusted him, she did not put him above hexing her.

The door jerked open, and Draco stood there, looking pale, and very unsettled. She wouldn't say upset, because Draco didn't ever look upset. He merely got a blank mask over his face, and you couldn't see anything of his emotions.

"Can I come in?" Ginny asked. Draco opened the door wider and stepped aside. Ginny walked in, mindful of the glass that crunched underfoot.

He had been throwing things.

Why wasn't she surprised?

"What happened?" Ginny asked, sitting down on his bed, kicking off her shoes and crossing her legs so she sat indian-style.

"Surely you found out from her." Draco said bad-temperedly, muttering a spell that cleaned up the glass.

"I heard what she said about what happened. Now I want to know what happened."

"I think I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue." He muttered darkly.

"Well, if you find drugs arent the answer, try rephrasing the question." Ginny replied easily.

"She wouldn't listen to me!" he snapped angrily, whirling on Ginny. Ginny refused to flinch, although he was scary when he was mad. And sitting down as she was, he was a lot bigger than her.

He sank down on the bed next to her, putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. They sat in silence for a moment, before he straightened up.

"We were yelling at each other in the hallway, when basically I kissed her." Ginny said nothing. "Yeah, well. Anyway. Snape caught us, took points, and stalled you guys while we escaped up here since Hermione wasn't keen on seeing Pothead and Weasel after what she said to Longbottom. We were in the common room, I just couldn't get over how stupid I'd just been. I've kissed her before, but that was Amelie and-"

"Wai- whoa. Stop. Say that again and add an explanation." Ginny instructed. Draco looked at her. She raised an eyebrow expectantly.

He sighed. "After the Halloween Ball, Amelie killed a couple of trolls by getting mad and stamping her foot. After that she was totally high and out of it, and needed to ground before she ended up hurting herself. Eating was going to make her sick, so I said I'd kiss her. She didn't want me to, but I did anyway, and it was…" he trailed off.

"You can skip the adjective. What happened?" Ginny said, waving her hand.

"Basically we stopped kissing and I got mad at myself, and left. We went to bed, and then like fifteen minutes later that bird-thing came and tried to shred our rooms."

"And that was it for the you-and-Amelie kissing thing?" Ginny asked. Draco nodded. "Does Hermione know?"

"Amelie said she wasn't going to tell Hermione, since it didn't really mean anything, and it wasn't going to happen again."

"You know, people who have affairs say that kind of thing all the time." Ginny said knowledgably.

"Then it's a good thing we aren't married." Draco snapped. Ginny laughed.

"Okay. So, you guys were in here and…"

"I was mad at myself because I'd kissed her again…I mean. I love her, alright? But if my dad finds out, he'll hunt her down and kill her. And I wont let that happen. And the best way to do that is not to let him know I love her."

"Well, I would be very surprised if he didn't know there was something going on." Ginny pointed out. He stared at her, not understanding. "Well, you're always flirting with her, and hugging her, and annoying her, and everything like that. To me at least, it's really obvious that you really like her. Even love her. And I'm not the only one in the Great Hall with eyes."

Draco paled. "The Slytherins…"

"Precisely. And I'll have you know that whenever you so much as look at Hermione Pansy Parkinson goes white, green then red. In that order."

"Huh?"

"Shocked, jealous, furious. If she hasn't told her parents or your father or someone like that, I'd wonder what the hell she was waiting for." Ginny said. She paused. "Christmas?"

"The ball." Draco said.

"What about it? Speaking of which, you have like, three weeks. Have you done anything for it?"

"I haven't, I don't know about Hermione. But that's not what I'm getting at." Ginny stared at him, nonplussed.

"If he attacks at the Christmas ball, not only can he get all of us, he can get the entire school unawares."

"You think he'll use the ball, then? Isnt that a little obvious?"

"No! It makes sense, listen to me."

"I am so totally listening." Ginny assured him blithely. He rolled his eyes.

"At Halloween I gave her the rubies, right?"

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I don't recommend such expenditure again. Neither Hermione nor Amelie do well with trolls."

"Shush. My mother gave me this earlier in November, and what do you want to bet it was so I could give it to Hermione?" He jumped off his bed and went to his desk, where he unlocked a drawer and pulled out a small box. He handed it to Ginny to held it gingerly, and opened the box.

Inside was a hair pin, beautifully tooled in gold, silver and platinum. It was set with glittering emeralds and opals. Ginny reached into the box to touch it, then changed her mind. She let the lid close with a snap and handed it back to him.

"It reeks of dark magic." She said. "Though it is gorgeous."

"It does? I never noticed." He opened it, shrugged, then shut it again, putting it away in the drawer.

"Maybe because you've lived around dark magic all your life you've kind of built up an immunity to it."

"Maybe." Draco shrugged. "But I wonder if my dad knows already about us, and wanted to wait to make a real scene of it."

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. But I have an idea." Draco nodded for her to continue. "I'd need to talk this over with Hermione, but what if you seemed to go off her…and start spending time with me, instead?"

"Always knew you were desperate for me." He said with a smirk.

"Oh please, Draco." She sneered. "I wouldn't sleep with you if you were the last man on earth, all the women and animals died, and I lost all my fingers."

Draco stepped back, his eyebrows raised and his hands up in surrender.

"You've made you point. Quite eloquently, I might add."

"Thank you." Ginny said regally.

"But it might work. You're not exactly what my father has in mind, but you're pureblood. And if he thinks I'm doing it to steal you out from under Potter's nose, to irritate everyone and to totally smash Hermione's heart and thus her strength to smithereens, he might just let me live. He might just let her live."

"Bravo." Ginny said with a smile. "Now, come on."

She grabbed his wrist and led him into the common room, where she pushed him onto the couch.

"Stay." She instructed. Then she went into Hermione's room and emerged a few seconds later with Hermione in tow. She pushed Hermione onto the couch next to him. Then she sat on the chair across from them.

"You can apologise to each other later." She said busily. "Right now, I have a plan."